Identity theft was once fairly easy. Watch someone's mailbox for a credit card offer, then send it in with a new address; discover something like your Social Security number, then route that money to their bank account. There were lots of ways. But now there's a new one -- a fabricated synthetic identity. It's you without really being you. It can take your money in a quick hit or drain your money slowly. In this episode, we'll tell you how it's done and what -- if anything -- you can do about it. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices ..read more

It sounds exotic to fake your death, then just walk away, expect it almost never works. One woman was found in her home closet. Another was found by just pinging her phone. Then there is the woman who researched how to fake her death and took it so far as to hold her own death certificate in her hands. There are many ways to fake your death, but we don't advise that you try them ... unless your willing to sacrifice your own body. Frank Ahern Books by Frank Ahern Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices ..read more

News: A Nebraska woman is conned out of a gold bar and a woman buys the wrong kind of gift card, frustrating a scammer, but still losing her money Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices ..read more

The theme of this series has been the long con of vanishing. Instead of a scammer targeting you, you are the one scamming everyone else. To be successful, you must do this the rest of your life, making it possibly the longest con of all. Maureen is the victim of this con. Her husband went missing and while she verified he was still alive, she doesn't know why he left -- or even if he is still alive. In this episode, you'll hear her tragic story and her best guess on what really happened, although she'll unlikely to never know for sure. National Missing and Unidentified Persons System Learn ..read more

Woman recovers $147k from scammer and a man tries to own the New York Hotel Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices ..read more

The theme of this series has been the long con of vanishing. Instead of a scammer targeting you, you are the one scamming everyone else. To be successful, you must do this the rest of your life, making it possibly the longest con of all. Maureen is the victim of this con. Her husband went missing and while she verified he was still alive, she doesn't know why he left -- or even if he is still alive. In this episode, you'll hear her tragic story and her best guess on what really happened, although she'll unlikely to never know for sure. National Missing and Unidentified Persons System Learn ..read more

Scams & Cons News for March 21, 2024 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices ..read more

Once you've decided to vanish, the question is: where do you go? In this episode we explore those possibilities and what you need to keep in mind when choosing a place. The odds are you'll end up somewhere that's not familiar and among people you don't know. That loneliness is one of the main reasons that a vanishing con fails. We'll tell you how people cope with that ... and sometimes it just means living on the street. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices ..read more

Scams & Cons News for March 7, 2024 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices ..read more

The longest con of all may be vanishing -- leaving the place you know, going somewhere unfamiliar and never having contact with anyone or anything from your past life. In this episode, we tell you how to go missing and avoid those who will be looking for you. Private Investigative Services Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices ..read more